


Good Tidings

by AngeliaDark



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas parties? In my Hell? More likely than you think, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21662347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeliaDark/pseuds/AngeliaDark
Summary: A Christmas party in Hell isn't the big selling point for the Happy Hotel (For Hazbins), but Charlie feels that the holiday season is just what her friends need to open up to and help one another.So what better way to do it than with a Secret Santa?When Angel Dust draws none other than his crush, the Radio Demon, he knows he has one shot to not eff it up.
Relationships: Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Comments: 30
Kudos: 806





	Good Tidings

**A Secret Santa gift about Secret Santa, how original! XD**

Maybe Charlie was coming into her own as the heir to the throne of Hell with all of the torture she was putting everyone through, most everyone thought. They all felt the impending doom come upon them like a storm the moment they saw Charlie dragging in a fir tree for the lobby. Any hope that it wasn't what they thought it was dashed into a thousand pieces when the stairwells were lined with garland and holly.

And Alastor, the bastard, HAD to contribute to their torture by playing Christmas music on every damn radio (and himself) every waking hour.

Charlie proclaimed that they could start their rehabilitation with good tidings to one another for the holiday season. Husk proclaimed that he would rather walk outside during an Extermination and flip an angel off, a sentiment that only made Charlie all the more eager to press on with her ideas.

She made some compromises with everyone, such as letting Husk spike the eggnog as much as he wanted, and let Angel Dust wear the skimpiest white-furred red dress and black boots he had, if anything just to get them to open up a little and contribute.

And contribute they did, with Husk making the eggnog more bourbon than anything else, Angel putting mistletoe under any doorway or underpass he could, and Niffty making sure every decoration and ornament was perfectly aligned and symmetrical. 

Although Vaggie didn't seem to be ENTIRELY gung-ho about it, she still put on a good face and helped out with the lights, wrangling Angel into helping with his height. "It beats going to midnight mass," she muttered.

"Preachin' to th' choir on that one," Angel agreed. "Why we still had t' go t' church when we were in th' mob, I dunno. Didn't help us any."

Husk's ear twitched, looking over. "You were Catholic?" 

Angel laughed. "Please, try findin' an Italian in New York who WASN'T Catholic," he said, flicking one of the lights. "We didn't have these though, just a shitton of food. Still th' best we could do, considerin' th' Great Depression."

Vaggie sighed a little. "It wasn't so bad," she shrugged. "Just super religious and super awkward." She turned to Husk. "How about you?"

Husk grunted. "Raised Jewish, died atheist, so." He shrugged. "Never really cared for it." He raised his mug. "Eggnog is good, though."

"All I smell is bourbon."

"Same shit." He took another swig as Charlie came in to check on progress.

"Omigosh, it's amazing, guys!" she gushed, clapping her hands, eyes sparkling brightly. "Ooooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"It'll be even more fun if Alastor stops playin' _Baby It's Cold Outside_ ," Husk grumbled. 

"Got any requests?"

"Silence."

"Santa Baby!" Angel piped up only to be smacked in the face by Husk's wing.

"Seriously, silence. If I have silence, I'll consider it my fuckin' gift."

Charlie giggled. "I'll talk to Al," she promised. "Maybe he'll compromise with instrumentals instead." She took another look around, beaming. "Anyway, remember to be in the lounge tonight at six, we've got our first little get-together!"

Angel rolled his eyes. "Fine. There'd better be booze."

"You're getting champagne and that's it, Angel."

"Lame."

Charlie headed out to get final preparations ready for the staff -and one patient- party, Vaggie following. Angel grinned, sidling up to Husk. "Is that mistletoe I see?" he teased, laughing when Husk managed to bolt out of the room in .7 seconds flat. He didn't bother chasing him down, and instead sat back on a chair to look out over the decorations.

It was a little nostalgic, seeing decorations up. He hadn't seen anything this decorative since his last Christmas in New York, remembering the lights, the trees, the snow. If only is snowed in Hell, he thought. But regardless of the prettiness and the attempt at warm fuzzy holiday feelings, Angel knew that this was pretty much just aesthetic and nothing more. They were in Hell for a reason, and that was that.

Didn't mean he couldn't enjoy what there was to be enjoyed down here. 

Speaking of...

He looked up when he heard singing in the other room, recognizing it as Alastor singing. He smothered a laugh, knowing that the Radio Demon was only singing himself to spite Husk who asked for no Christmas MUSIC. He absently wondered if he could get Alastor to agree to a duet at some point.

Ah hell, that wouldn't work. Angel was sure that if he tried a duet of _Baby It's Cold Outside_ , Alastor would take a metaphorical 'I've got to go' and make it literal. Pretty unfair, considering the 'season of giving'.

Angel let out a huff, grabbing a snowflake-themed throw pillow and hugging it. 'Season of giving', his perfect ass, more like the 'season of catching feelings'. He shouldn't have given the damn deer more than his usual flirtatious fare, but it was a combination of 'want what you can't have' and just good old fashioned charm that made Angel develop one of his rare true crushes.

It wasn't hard to find Alastor attractive. He was powerful, handsome, and full of personality, damn near the perfect package.

If only the man wasn't as untouchable as he was red. 

That damn Five-Foot Rule. It was double-hell considering that when Alastor initiated touch, he was as close and grabby as possible, but not exactly with Angel Dust. Perhaps offering an invitation for a blowjob as his first words to Alastor wasn't the best first impression, and the old saying went, 'you only have one first impression'. 

That, and his reputation wasn't exactly one of classy repute. Not that he cared much about THAT, but still.

Angel sighed and stood up to go get a nap in before Charlie's little get-together or whatever it was. He just hoped it was nothing stupid.

"This is so stupid."

Husk scowled as he wrote his name down on a card and stuffed it into a matching envelope, tossing it into a bag that Charlie held out. 

"It's not stupid, it's creative and fun!" Charlie insisted, holding out the bag for everyone else to finish up their own cards. 

Angel wrote his name with a flourish before sliding the card into the envelope. "What's the deal with this then?" he asked. Charlie smiled as she took his card into her bag.

"It's called Secret Santa!" she chirped. "Everyone writes their name on the card, and then we take turns picking a card anonymously. Whoever's name we pick is the person we give the gift to. It's like, a personalized type of thing, making you really get to know people so you give them a good gift!" She grinned conspiringly. "So in that way, you have to socialize with EVERYONE so no one guesses who it is you picked!"

Husk rolled his eyes. "Like I said. Stupid." He went for the punch and got himself some, tipping the contents of a flask into it.

"Don't be sour, Husk, you might get a good gift!" Charlie said, holding out the bag for Alastor to put his card into. "Now, there ARE some rules I think we can agree on. No gag gifts, no dirty gifts -" Everyone looked at Angel Dust when she said that. " -and no insulting gifts. If you put ANY effort into anything for Christmas, just let it be this, okay?" She gave them all a pleading look while behind her, Vaggie gave everyone a death glare to take this seriously or get a harpoon through the groin. 

"I'm sure it'll be something worth putting the effort into, my dear," Alastor said, looking ever-amused. "Or at very least seeing what drawing someone's name of whom we loathe could bring."

Charlie took that with a grain of sugar just to turn it into something positive, shaking the bag up before opening it again. "Okay then, let's get picking! Open it in secret, okay?"

Niffty hopped over to pick one out first, almost overeager to get right to it. Vaggie went next, then Husk, Alastor, and then Angel slipped his hand into the bag to peruse one of the two remaining ones, plucking one out. Charlie took the remaining one and put it into her pocket. "Okay then, let's eat!"

The small envelope was almost forgotten in Angel's pocket with the joy of being allowed some alcohol, even if it was champagne. The food wasn't half bad, though nowhere near the caliber his family's meals, but a quick trip to the kitchen for a midnight snack could fix that right away. The little party overall wasn't bad either, though Charlie mentioned something about a big Christmas Eve party later where they would exchange the gifts and open the Hotel to anyone who just wanted to stop by for a happy memory.

Angel Dust made a mental note to keep his room locked to avoid his shit getting stolen, and grabbed another bottle of champagne to enjoy by himself before retiring to his room. After undressing, he noticed the edge of the envelope he picked sticking out of his pocket and picked it out. "Oh yeah, that," he muttered, opening it. "Hope it's Husk, I can just get him booze and be done with it -"

Alastor

It was fucking Alastor. 

Angel stared down at the elaborate flourish of a signature in red, feeling his mouth go dry. Out of EVERYONE for this little...game of Charlie's, it had to be the one person he'd overthink everything about. 

He found himself sitting back on his bed, staring at Alastor's name in the sort of contemplation one might have with deciding whether or not to take the stack of 100-dollar bills at the expense of perhaps losing a finger. In Angel's case, he felt as though he might risk losing one of his arms entirely.

A gift for Alastor. What in the WORLD could he get for a powerful overlord deer demon, the co-manager of the Hotel, and his current crush? No immediate ideas came to mind. Everything he really thought he knew about Alastor, Alastor already had in spades. He didn't need power, had Husk for any alcohol needs, and was completely disinterested in sex. What then?

Effort, Charlie said. Just put thought and effort into it. 

Angel laid back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to think of Christmases past. His childhood was rooted in the Great Depression, and while his family was better off than most, they couldn't be bothered with anything extravagant. Pops had people working for him that needed help too, after all. Christmases were less pomp and more circumstance with simple gifts from his parents and siblings.

He found himself smiling, remembering his mother teaching him and Molly to knit in secret so they could work on clothes for the older men in the family. Angel himself surprised his mother with a scarf he'd worked on in complete secret, even from Molly, so it would be perfect for Christmas.

He sat up straight, eyes gleaming. That was it, he thought. It was something nice, thoughtful, had effort put into it, and best of all, it was functional. Alastor liked functional.

He took a moment to think; there wasn't much in the way of yarn, and asking to leave the Hotel would only have him be submitted to a contraband check when he returned, ruining the complete surprise he wanted it to be. Niffty was a talker, Vaggie and Husk wouldn't give a damn, and Charlie would probably turn getting just a skein or two of yarn into a damn knitting club in the future.

It took him several moments to remember another little talent of his own, one that he wasn't ENTIRELY fond of, but the results were solid. 

Angel made sure the Hotel was quiet and that he wasn't due for any quick check-ins before going into his closet and producing several long yards of spider silk. 

Silk was good for bondage; almost impossible to tear, and didn't leave marks. But he didn't broadcast that talent on the grounds that it was tedious to make, and feeling like he was having thick strings of mozzarella being pulled out of his throat wasn't his favorite sensation. Pull it out too fast, and his normally nonexistent gag reflex kicked in. So it took about two and a half hours to get out the amount he felt he needed and get it neatly in a fold.

Sometimes wool wasn't always available back then, he remembered as he began spinning the thinner-than-hair threads into thicker strings. Gather enough fur, and you can make yarn. A cousin of theirs was a dog groomer for the more affluent folk in New York, so she came back with MOUNDS of dog hair to spin into yarn. Dye it a darker color, and you wouldn't tell the difference. 

Except with Uncle Franco, who was allergic to dogs. That was a fun Christmas.

It was early morning and he was yawning by the time he was finished with spinning a small pile. He didn't have much to do, but it would be suspicious if he stayed in his room all the time. Angel stashed his work away carefully in his wardrobe and went to catch a couple hours of sleep.

_'I wonder who picked my name,'_ he found himself thinking over coffee, making mental notes of what he'd need for some dye and how to wrangle up some knitting needles from somewhere. Vaggie tried to look disinterested while trying NOT to, Husk didn't seem to give a damn, Charlie and Niffty were almost vibrating from the effort it took not to spill their own Secret Santa, and Alastor was...Alastor. No changes, no indications of who he got, and that was pretty on character for him.

Angel went through his motions for the most part before heading back to his room to finish spinning his silk and think about dyes.

It had to be red, he thought. There was plenty to dye the silk here, but it had to be the right shade of red. Darker than normal red, but lighter than blood. It might take a few passes, but he could do it. 

He finished the spinning and gauged the amount, thinking it was just enough for a decent-sized scarf. 

Dying took awhile, getting the whole silk yarn a solid color that didn't show the spinning streaks. His sink was full for a good long while, leaving him with his bathtub to get his usual ablutions out of the way for a few days until the color was perfect. Drying took another day or so, leaving him time to get his hands on some knitting needles made from some wrought-iron bits he found around the outside of the Hotel.

Actually getting to knitting gave him a sense of calm and nostalgia, even if his skills were rusty. He had to unravel and start again five times before he got his rhythm back to really begin. 

Back in his knitting heyday, he could churn out a scarf in one day, but he wanted to take his time with this one. He chose a snug, simple stitch for this one, taking care with counting each stitch, placing a mark when he had to stop, and making sure he stashed his work away with utmost care.

It went along that vein for the days leading up to the gift exchange, and Angel made sure the scarf was perfect and packaged away neatly in a spare shoe box of his and then wrapped in some paper Charlie picked out for them. On the tag, he wrote Alastor's name in his nicest handwriting.

Setting the box aside, he felt a thrill of anxious excitement at giving it to Alastor. Would he like it? It WAS pretty baseline in terms of a gift, but he kept recanting that he was practical and if he were to be a bit prideful, FASHIONABLE. Timeless. Alastor liked timeless. 

The gift-giving was in an hour, and he needed a shower to relax. 

A shower and maybe three cups of Husk's eggnog.

Angel Dust headed downstairs with his gift held behind his back with his secondary hands, his primary adjusting the collar of his shirt. He was dressed a bit more conservatively, thinking that perhaps Alastor would appreciate the gift given more if Angel made an effort to be as nice. A button-down shirt under a vest and a more modest skirt would do, he thought. 

The others were already downstairs with the gifts-to-be on a table. He walked over and set his down, but made a quick mental count that one was missing. And come to think of it, so was Alastor.

"It's about time," Charlie said, hopping in place excitedly. "Where's Al?"

Husk shrugged. "Said he had to step out an hour ago," he said. "Don't fuckin' know why."

"He's probably getting some stuff for the party!" Niffty piped up, just as the front door opened and Alastor's jovial voice rang out. 

"Apologies for the delay!" he said, walking into the lobby wearing a fluffy black coat. "I was visiting a dear friend first. Good thing I did, it's actually getting nippy outside!" 

Charlie smiled, setting out some hot chocolate with a splash of bourbon to take the sweetness out. "As long as you're back," she said. "You're just in time for Secret Santa!" 

"Marvelous," Alastor said, slipping off his new coat. Anything else he said fell on deaf ears to Angel. 

Under the coat, Alastor was wearing a red scarf.

Angel's spine froze, feeling the sudden urge to grab his gift from the pile and bolt, if anything just to spare a tiny shred of his own pride. He'd scramble for something else, make up a story that he'd forgotten, SOMETHING. But he couldn't do it, only moving to sit down by himself as Charlie told everyone to as she and Niffty began the game.

"Okay then," Charlie said, picking up an oblong package. "This is for...Vaggie!" She passed it over to her girlfriend, who opened it with a bit of trepidation, only for her expression to soften when she saw that it was a dagger laid out with a bone handle. "Ohh, that's nice!"

"Yeah," Vaggie said, smiling a little as she examined it. "It's beautiful!"

"Yer welcome," Husk muttered into his eggnog, ears lowered with some bashfulness. He suffered through the 'awwws' aplenty from Charlie and Niffty before huffing. "Just get on with it!"

And go on they did. 

Angel sat frozen through Husk receiving a nice set of crystal glasses from Charlie, and Charlie getting a pretty brooch from Niffty, and then the last gift next to Alastor's was picked up with Niffty's name being said before Angel couldn't take it anymore. "I need t' use th' bathroom," he said, hopping up. Charlie's voice was muddled as he hurried out, unable to really stand much more. 

His gift to Alastor was the last one at the table. 

That had to mean that Alastor had picked his name. And he had nothing. 

He hurried all the way up to the roof, stepping out and ignoring the bite of cold that was indeed in the air. Fresh air was better than anything down in there.

Charlie nibbled her lip, staring after Angel with worry. "...you think he's okay?" she asked. 

"YOU want to follow him to the bathroom?" Vaggie responded. Charlie blushed as Niffty opened her gift, the small demon squealing at the new dress from Vaggie, before taking up the last one. "....well, Al, this one's for you," she said. "By process of elimination, it's gotta be from Angel."

Alastor took it almost gingerly, looking it over before carefully unwrapping it and opening the box. "...oh," he said, reaching in and picking up a soft, smooth length of a scarf. 

Niffty hopped over, eyeing it over curiously and running a finger over it. "It's silk!" she announced, eye gleaming as she gazed over the edge. "Knitted with a rib stitch, nice!"

"How do you even know that?" Husk asked. 

"Angel can knit?" Vaggie muttered to Charlie. "And how'd he even get silk anyway? He hasn't been out of the Hotel for over weeks."

Niffty scoffed, rolling her eye. "Oh boy, you're dense," she said. "Angel Dust is a SPIDER, you know. He can make silk!" She began tapping different things off her fingers. "Then there's the red stain in his sink showing he did some dyeing, and he's really not that good at hiding stuff in his closet -" Her attention shifted so something else. " -and oh, you're already wearing a scarf, how embarrassing."

Alastor looked down as though just realizing that he indeed was. "Oh, so I am," he said lightly, reaching up to take it off and then replace it with the silk scarf, wrapping the flannel one he'd been wearing around Niffty's shoulders. "There you go."

"Ooh, cozy!" she chirped, going to compare it with her new dress as Alastor stood up grabbing his coat. "Where are you going?"

"Stepping out to thank Angel Dust," he said shortly through a smile, leaving the room in silence. 

"...seriously, Angel can knit?"

"OOH WE SHOULD START A KNITTING CLUB!"

"...sweetie, no."

Angel hugged his knees, feeling that he really should head in before he got too cold or someone came up to check on him, KNOWING that he was being oversensitive and ridiculous, but THIS was ridiculous. All that hard work for something Alastor already had. 

Figures all of this was indeed just another way to torture him.

He sighed, thinking he'd at least go back in to go straight to bed, and almost jumped when he felt something heavy be settled on his shoulders. "Shit -!" He looked up, blanching when he saw Alastor standing next to him, smiling down. "....uh..." So smart. Still couldn't come up with anything. "Hi." Nailed it.

"Hello," Alastor replied, shifting to sit next to Angel, brushing his fingers over the new red scarf. "Your gift is lovely. Handmade, like Niffty deduced?"

Angel swallowed, nodding. "...yeah," he said, cringing internally. "...but you already had one -"

"It was something I grabbed just for my errand," Alastor replied flippantly, waving his hand. "Had it for years." He smiled, holding up one end of the scarf. "Nothing nearly as nice as this. It's fine work."

Angel's face heat up. "...thanks," he replied. "Charlie said...y'know...somethin' nice. So...yeah." He shrugged, feeling the weight on his shoulders again and reached up, feeling at the big fluffy coat Alastor had come in with. "...you can have this back, I was...gonna go back inside anyway."

Alastor laughed. "Why would you give back your own gift?" he asked. "I was out picking it up for you. It was a last-minute finish, and I had no time to properly package it. Do you like it?" 

Angel ran his fingers over it, smiling at the softness and the total warmth he felt inside of it. "It's great," he said. "Big and fluffy, just like me."

"That's what I thought," Alastor said. "Still, you didn't need to be so embarrassed about it. Gifts made are valuable, especially when it's from a part of yourself."

Oh, Angel wasn't about to open that can of worms, not now. "...just...holiday jitters, then," he said, saying nothing more. Alastor's look plainly said he didn't believe Angel, but he didn't push. "...let's just get back inside," he said, tugging his new coat around himself, able to feel that there were indeed two extra sleeves in the sides that had been tucked in. "...I could live in this thing..."

"It's yours to do with as you please," Alastor said, standing up. "We should get back down before they come searching. Charlie is already worried."

Angel hopped up, sliding his arms into the sleeves. "If anyone asks, you found me outside the bathroom."

"Spare your pride, got it." Alastor walked to the door with Angel, pausing as he looked up. "...well I'll be twice-damned. It's snowing."

Angel looked up too, eyes shining as he saw little flakes dropping down. "...NOW it's Christmas," he sighed, snuggling into the fluffy collar as he headed inside, only for a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "What's up?" He saw Alastor roll his eyes and point upwards, lifting his eyes and seeing one of the mistletoe he himself had put up weeks ago. "...uh...you don't hafta -"

"Charlie insisted in all traditions," Alastor said before leaning up and giving Angel a quick peck. "Now let's go down for some eggnog and embarrassing life stories!" He tossed the edge of his scarf over his shoulder and walked in ahead of Angel, humming _'Santa Baby'_ to himself.

Angel blinked for a moment before smiling and following, thinking that he could maybe get used to this for another year.


End file.
